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South Korean stocks fell sharply on Thursday as Brent crude held above $100 a barrel, pushing the KOSPI back below the 7,000 mark just a day after it reclaimed the level for the first time in more than a month. The benchmark was down 1.28% at 6,961.23 by late morning in Seoul.
South Korea's KOSPI outperformed Asian markets on Wednesday while Japan's Nikkei 225 recovered from the previous session's selloff, as renewed strength in semiconductor and AI-related shares offset concerns over oil approaching $100 a barrel. The KOSPI rose 1.67% to 7,070.94 by late morning, reclaiming the 7,000 mark as Samsung Electronics gained 1.48% and SK Hynix jumped 4.85%.
South Korea's demand for power in the coming years is set to surge on plans by chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to expand production and the building of new AI data centres, according to the country's energy minister.
South Korea's KOSPI surged about 3% on Monday, leading gains across Asia as investors piled back into semiconductor stocks on renewed optimism over artificial intelligence demand. The benchmark opened 3.34% higher at 6,910.78 and was up 2.97% at 6,886.09 by late morning in Seoul.
South Korea and the United States are discussing semiconductor investments in the U.S. as part of broader bilateral talks, a Seoul official told reporters on Friday.
Asian stocks recovered on Thursday as a pause in the global bond selloff brought buyers back to South Korea and Japan, although the rebound remained cautious ahead of Friday's US jobs report. The KOSPI climbed 1.4% to 6,654.76 by late morning, clawing back part of Wednesday's 3.99% plunge, while the Nikkei 225 edged about 0.1% higher to 64,374.
South Korea ETFs are pulling back, but robust exports and rising AI spending could create a compelling long-term buying opportunity.
The artificial intelligence (AI) boom is creating a bottleneck for the semiconductor industry. As hyperscalers continue spending billions of dollars on AI data centers, the demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used alongside advanced AI processors has surged, diverting production away from smartphones, PCs and other electronics.